service, labour to make God your end. It is your pattern in the text,
"they shall go and seek the Lord;" it was not now "howling upon their
beds for corn and wine," as formerly; of which God says, "they cried not
unto Me," _i.e._, they did not make God the end of their prayers; as
elsewhere God tells them: "When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and
seventh month, even those seventy years, did ye fast to Me, even unto
Me?" In seventy years, they kept sevenscore fasts in Babylon; and yet,
amongst them all, they kept not one day unto God; for though the duty
looked upon God, they that did the duty did not look upon God; that is,
they did not set up God, as their chief end, in fasting and praying:
they mourned not so much for their sin, as for their captivity; or, if
for their sin, they mourned for it not so much as God's dishonour, as
the cause of their captivity; they were not troubled so much, that they
had by their sins walked contrary to God, as that God, by His judgments,
had "walked contrary to them." They fasted and prayed, rather to get off
their chains than to get off their sins; to get rid of the bondage of
the Babylonians, than to get rid of the servitude of their own base
lusts. But now, blessed be God, it was otherwise: "the children of
Israel shall come, they and the children of Judah together" to what end?
"They shall seek the Lord," _i.e._ they shall seek God for Himself, and
not only for themselves; "going and weeping;" why? Not so much that He
hath offended them, as that they have offended Him; for their sins, more
than for their punishments; so it is more distinctly reported, "A voice
was heard upon the high places, weeping and supplications of the
children of Israel; because they have perverted their way, and have
forsaken the Lord their God." They had forgotten God before, not only in
their sins, but in their duties; "they cried not to Me; they fasted not
to Me; not at all unto Me." But now they remember the Lord their God;
they seek His face; they labour to atone Him; yea, they seek Him to be
their Lord, as well as their Saviour; to govern them, as well as to
deliver them; "they ask the way to Zion;" they require as well, and
more, how they should serve Him, as that He should save them. "The Lord
is our judge, the Lord is our law-giver, the Lord is our king, He will
save us." Beloved Christians, let us write after this copy, and in this
great business we have in hand, let us seek God, and seek Him as a
fountain of holiness, as well as a fountain of happiness. Take we heed
of those base, low, dung-hill ends, which prevailed upon the Shechemites
to enter into covenant with the God of the Hebrews, "shall not their
cattle and substance be ours?" Let the two nations, and every soul in
both the nations, that lift up the hand to the most high God, in this
holy league and covenant, take heed of, and abhor such unworthy
thoughts, if they should be crowding in upon this service, and say unto
them, as once Christ to Peter, "get thee behind me, Satan; thou
savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men."
You may remember how it fared with Hamor, and his son Shechem, and their
people, to whom they propounded these base ends. God did not only
disappoint them of their ends, but destroy them for them; their aims
were to get the Hebrews' substance and cattle; but they lost their own,
with lives to boot; "For it came to pass on the third day, when they
were sore, two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, came upon the city
boldly, and slew all the males. And the sons of Jacob came upon the
slain, and spoiled the city; they took their sheep, and their oxen, and
all their wealth." A most horrid and bloody treachery and cruelty in
them, which stands as a brand of infamy upon their foreheads to this
day; but a most just and righteous censure from God, and a caution to
all succeeding generations, of prostituting heavenly and holy ordinances
to earthly and sensual ends. Oh! let it be our "admonition, upon whom
the ends of the world are come, to the end, that we may not tempt God,
as they also tempted." For, if God so much abhorred, and so severely
punished these worldly respects in the men of the world; if God was so
angry with poor purblind heathen, who had no other light for their
guide, but the glimmering light of nature; how will His anger not only
kindle, but flame in the avenging of such baseness upon Christians, a
people of His own, who have the glorious light of the gospel of Jesus
Christ, to discover to them higher and heavenly ends and references? So
that such a kingdom, people, or person, that should dare to bring such
base carnal ends, to so spiritual and divine a contract, should be made
a monument of the wrath and vengeance of divine justice; and while they
propound to themselves safety, or riches, or greatness, from such an
excellent ordinance, God makes it by a strange but a righteous hand, an
occasion of misery and ruin to them and their posterity, to many
generations.
Christians, labour to set up God in this day and duty, wherein you
engage yourselves so nigh unto Him; and if you would have heavenly
blessings, see that you propound and pursue heavenly ends and aims;
lest, while you come to make a covenant with God, you commit idolatry
against Him. Whatsoever we make our ultimate and highest end, we make
our God. If therefore you cannot make God your sole, your only end, yet
be sure you make Him your choicest, your chiefest end; keep God in His
own place; and let all self-respects whatsoever vail to His glory,
according to that great rule, "whether you eat or drink, or whatsoever
ye do, do all to the glory of God."
_Fifthly_, To do this business to acceptation, we must do it cheerfully:
as God loves a cheerful giver, so He loves a cheerful hearer, a cheerful
petitioner, and a cheerful covenanter; and you have it in the text too,
"come let us;" there is their readiness and cheerfulness to the work; as
it was that for which the apostle doth commend his Macedonians in
another service. "This they did, not as we hoped, but first gave
themselves to the Lord." So these, they give themselves to God of their
own accord, "come let us." Oh! that the ministers of the Gospel might
have occasion to make the same boast of you, concerning this solemn
ordinance before you, that they might say and rejoice, that you were a
people, "that gave yourselves to the Lord," and unto the work of
reformation, not by a Parliamentary fear, or by our ministerial
compulsions; but, above our hopes, and beyond our expectations; of your
own accord. See what a wonder, not only of cheerfulness, but of joy and
triumph, is recorded of the Jews in king Asa's time, in their taking of
the covenant. "They sware unto the Lord with a loud voice, and with
shouting; and with trumpets, and with cornets. And all Judah rejoiced at
the oath; for they had sworn with all their hearts." There was indeed a
severe mulct, a capital censure enacted, against those that should
refuse, and reject this ordinance. "They should be put to death, whether
great or small, whether man or woman." A very grievous censure; but it
seems there was neither need, nor use for it; "for all Judah rejoiced at
the oath;" the people looked upon this service, not as their pressure,
but as their privilege; and therefore came to it, not with contentedness
only, but an holy triumph, and so saved the magistrate and themselves
the labour and charges of executing that sentence on delinquents. Oh!
that this may be your wisdom and honour; that whatever penalty the
honourable Parliaments of either nation, shall in their wisdom think fit
to proportion to the grievous sin of rebelling against this covenant of
the Lord; (and it seems by the instance before, that whatsoever penalty
they shall ordain less than death, will not be justice only but
moderation) I say, whatever it shall be, it may be rendered useless and
invalid by the forwardness and rejoicings of an obedient people; that
all England, as well as Scotland, would rejoice at the oath, and swear
with all their hearts. For certainly it will not be so much our duty as
our prerogative, as I have shewed you before, to enter into covenant
with God and His people. It is the day of God's power: the Lord make you
a "willing people." And, as a testimony of this willingness and joy,
imitate the people here in the text, and stir up one another, and
provoke one another to this holy service. "Let us join ourselves to the
Lord." They express their charity, as well as their joy; they would not
go to Zion alone; they call as many as they meet with them; "come let us
join ourselves to the Lord." Oh, that this might be your temper! It is
the very character of the evangelical church; as both Isaiah and Micah
have described it; their words be the same. "Many people shall go and
say, come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord." Oh! that
while neutrals and malignants do discourage one another, and set off one
another, and embitter one another's spirits; God and His ministers might
find you encouraging each other, and provoking one another, and
labouring to oil one another's spirits, to this (as other) Gospel duty
and prerogative; God could not choose, but be much pleased with such a
sight. I might have made this a distinct qualification, but for
brevity's sake, I couch it under this head. I come to the last. If you
would be accepted, bring faith with you to this service: and that in a
fourfold reference; 1. God. 2. The ordinance. 3. Ourselves. 4. Jesus
Christ.
_First_, In reference unto God; "for he that will come to God," in any
ordinance, "must believe that God is and that He is a rewarder of them
that diligently seek Him." There is nothing God takes better at His
people's hand, than when they come with their hearts as full of good
thoughts of God as ever they can hold; such as, "Lo, this is our God, we
have waited for Him, and He will save us; we have waited for Him, we
will be glad, and rejoice in His salvation." "He will save," "we will be
glad," _i.e._, God will undoubtedly give us occasion of gladness and
triumph in His praises. Oh, sweet and blessed confidence of divine
goodness! how well doth this become the children of such a father, who
hath styled Himself the Father of mercies? Good thoughts of God do
mightily please, and even engage God to shew mercy to His people. "Let
us therefore come with boldness to the throne of grace;" even in this
ordinance also, "that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help us in
this time of our need."
_Secondly_, Let us bring faith in reference to the duty; as we are to
believe well of God, so we are to believe well of the duty, that it is
an ordinance wherein God will be sanctified, and found of them that seek
Him. It is not enough, that we seek Him in His ordinance, but that we
believe it to be His ordinance. "Whatever is not of faith, is sin;" He
speaks not of a faith that doth justify the person; but of a faith that
doth justify the performance; that is, a thorough conviction of
conscience, that the work, whatsoever it is, is such that the word will
bear me out in it, such as God Himself doth approve. To do doubtfully,
is to do sinfully; an ignorant person cannot please God.
_Thirdly_, Bring faith in reference to your own persons; believe that
God will accept of them in this ordinance; whatever your success shall
be in regard of the kingdom, yet you shall find acceptance in regard of
your persons: so the church. "Thou meetest him that rejoiceth, and
worketh righteousness, those that remember Thee in Thy ways." When a
people or person can say, as the church in another place, "In the way of
Thy judgments, have we waited for Thee, O Lord; the desire of our soul
is to Thy name, and to the remembrance of Thee," God will not stay till
they come unto Him, but He will meet them half-way; "thou meetest him,"
like the father of the prodigal, while they are yet half-way, He will
see, and run, and meet, and fall upon their neck; and while they weep at
His feet, tears of contrition; He will weep over their necks, the tears
of compassion: Oh! stir up yourselves, and engage your faith to believe,
and expect a gracious entertainment. If God see you coming in the
integrity and uprightness of your hearts, to enter into covenant with
God, to take Him as your God, and to give up yourselves to be His
people, to take away all from sin, and to give all to Jesus Christ; He
will certainly take it well at your hands, and say unto you, "come, my
people, and welcome; I will be your God, and you shall be my people;"
which that you may not miss of,
In the _fourth_ place, come believingly, in reference to Jesus Christ;
be sure you bring a Christ with you; for "He hath made us accepted in
the Beloved." Come without a Christ, and go without acceptance.
The day of atonement among the Jews was called the day of expiation; and
the word _kippurim_ is derived from an Hebrew root, that signifies to
cover; and so the day of atonement was as much as to say, "the day of
covering; the covering of nakedness: and the covering of sin." "Blessed
is the man whose transgression is forgiven, and whose sin is covered."
In which very name of the day, the ground or reason is held forth, why
it was called a day of atonement, because it was a day of covering:
wherein Christ was typified, Who is the "the covering of the saints; the
long white robes of His righteousness" covering both their persons and
performances; so that the nakedness of neither doth appear in the eyes
of His Father; "He hath beheld no iniquity in Jacob, neither hath seen
perverseness in Israel." Why? Not because there was no "iniquity in
Jacob, nor perverseness in Israel," for there was hardly any thing else;
but because their iniquity and perverseness were hid from His eyes,
being covered with the mantle of His Son's righteousness, the Messiah,
which He had promised, and they so much looked for. Let us therefore in
this service, as in all, "put on the Lord Jesus." That as Jacob in the
garments of his elder brother Esau, so we in the garments of our elder
brother Jesus, may find acceptance and obtain the blessing. And thus
much be spoken concerning the first branch of this third query, how to
acceptation?
I come now to the Second branch of it, and that is, How to perpetuity?
Or, how may we perform this service so that it may be "an everlasting
covenant, that may never be forgotten?" To that end, take these few
brief directions, and I have done.
_First_, Labour to come to this service with much soul-affliction for
former violation of the covenant, either in refusing, or profaning, or
breaking thereof: the foundations must be laid low, where we would build
for many generations. In what deep sorrows had you need to lay the
foundations of this covenant, which you would have stand to eternity,
that it may be "an everlasting covenant." This you have in the text;
"they shall seek the Lord, going and weeping;" weeping in the sense of
their former rebellions and apostasies, whereby they forfeited their
faith, and brake their covenant with the Lord their God; and it was no
ordinary slight business they made of it. "A voice was heard upon the
high places, weeping and supplication." They were not a few silent
tears: no, they "lift up their voices and wept," as was said of Esau.
They cried so loud, that they were heard a great way off. "A voice was
heard upon the mountains;" and it was as bitter, as it was loud; "a
great mourning, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of
Megiddon," when all Judah, Jerusalem, Jeremiah the prophet, and all the
singers, bewailed the death of their good king Josiah, with a grievous
lamentation, "and made it an ordinance forever." Oh! that as we have
their service in hand, so we had their heads and their hearts, to manage
it with rivers of tears, for our former vileness: that we could weep
this day together, and afterward apart, as it is prophesied, "Every
family apart, and our wives apart;" yea, and every soul apart, that we
have dealt so evilly with so good a God, so unfaithfully with so
faithful a God; that we could put our mouths in the dust, and smite upon
our thigh, and be ashamed and confounded, for all the wickedness we have
committed against God and His covenant, in any, or all these ways. Such
a posture God will see us in, before He will shew us "the way to Zion;"
before He will reveal to us the model and platform of reformation; for
so was His charge to Ezekiel, "If they be ashamed of all that they have
done, shew them the forms of the house, and the fashion thereof, and the
goings out thereof, and the comings in thereof, and all the forms
thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and all the forms thereof, and
all the laws thereof, and write it in their sight." Surely, this
blessed prophecy hath an eye upon our times, for this is one of those
days, as I told you before, wherein God will make good these gracious
words unto His people; and God hath called together His Ezekiels, His
ministers, to "shew the house," _i.e._, the form and pattern of the
evangelical house or church, unto the house of England and Scotland.
"Shew the house to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed." That
is, shew them the outside thereof, shew them "that there is such a
house," which they never yet beheld with their eyes, that they may be
humbled and ashamed of their former idolatries. And thus do our Ezekiels
tell us, there is a way of gospel government, of such beauty and
excellency, as our eyes never yet beheld, nor the eyes of our
forefathers; to the end, that we may be ashamed of all our former
idolatries and superstitions, our monstrous mixtures of popery and
will-worship in the ordinances of Christ; and that we have not sooner
inquired after the mind of Christ, how He will be worshipped in His
house; but now, unless we be ashamed, _i.e._, deeply and thoroughly
humbled, for all that we have done unworthy of Christ and His worship,
and the covenant of our God, we shall never see the inside, that is, the
laws and the ordinances, and the forms of this house, which are both
various and curious; for so the variety and repetition of the words
imply. The prophets are not to reveal these unto us, unless we be
ashamed; God will either withdraw them from us, or, which is worse,
withdraw Himself from them; so that our eyes shall never behold the Lord
in the beauty of holiness; we shall not be admitted to see the beauty
and glory of such a reformation, as our souls long for. And as God will
see us in this posture, before He reveal to us the model and platform of
reformation; so also, till we be in such a posture of deep humiliation,
for our former abominations, we shall never be stedfast and faithful in
the covenant of God. Till our hearts be throughly broken for
covenant-breach, we will not pass much for breaking covenant, upon every
fresh temptation. Yea, till that time we be humbled, not for a day only,
and so forth: but unless we labour to maintain an habitual frame of
godly sorrow upon our hearts for our covenant-violations, shall we ever
be to purpose conscientious of our covenant? A sad remembrance of old
sins is a special means to prevent new. When every solemn remembrance of
former vileness, can fetch tears from our eyes, and blood from our
hearts, and fill our faces with an holy shame, the soul will be holily
shy of the like abominations, and of all occasions and tendencies
thereunto: "Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and
the gall. My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled within
me." When old sins cost dear, new sins will not find an easy
entertainment. When old sins are new afflictions, when the remembrance
of them is as wormwood and gall, the soul will not easily be bewitched
to drink a new draught of that poisoned cup any more. Christian, believe
me, or thou mayest find it by experience too true, when thou hast forgot
old sins, or canst remember them without new affliction of soul, thou
art near a fall; look to thyself, and cry to God for preventing grace.
There will be great hopes we shall be faithful in our new covenant, when
we come with a godly sense and sorrow for our abuse of old, and labour
to maintain it upon our spirits.
_Secondly_, If you would have this covenant to be a perpetual covenant,
labour to see old scores crossed; do not only mourn for thy
covenant-unfaithfulness; but labour to get thy pardon written and sealed
to thee in the blood of the covenant. There is virtue enough in the
blood of the covenant, to expiate the guilt of thy sins against the
covenant. "I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean;
from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you."
Their sins of idolatry, were sins especially against their covenant;
idolatry being the violation of the marriage-knot, between God and a
people; yet even from them doth God promise to cleanse them, upon their
repentance and conversion. The blood of the covenant, compared to water
for the cleansing virtue thereof, should cleanse them from their
covenant defilements. "The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all
sin." "Thou hast played the harlot with many lovers; yet, return again
to me, saith the Lord." It is a mighty encouragement to renew our
covenants with God, that He is so ready to pardon the breach of old; and
the sense of this pardon is a mighty engagement and strengthening, to
keep our new covenants. Oh! for God to say to a poor soul, "be of good
cheer, thy sins be forgiven thee." "And I have blotted out thy sins as a
cloud, and thy transgressions as a thick cloud." All thy unkindnesses
and unfaithfulnesses, thy treacherous dealings against the covenant,
shall be forgotten; they shall do thee no harm. This will mightily
strengthen the hands, and fortify the heart, and even make it
impenetrable and impregnable against all the solicitations and
importunities of old temptations: see a notable instance of this, "I
will heal their backslidings, I will love them freely; for mine anger is
turned away from him." "I will be as the dew to Israel." "His branches
shall spread." "They that dwell under His shadow shall return." What
follows these gracious promises? Why, Ephraim shall say, "What have I to
do any more with idols?" He that before was so inseparably joined to
idols, that he could not be divorced from them; "Ephraim is joined to
idols." All the blows that God gave him, tho' God should have beaten him
to pieces, as he himself afterward confessed, could not beat him off
from his idols; insomuch, that God at length gave him over, as an
hopeless child. "Ephraim is joined to idols, let him lone." Yet, no
sooner doth this Ephraim hear of a pardon, and of the love of God to
him, but the bonds between him and his idols are dissolved, and away he
thrusts them with indignation. Ephraim shall say, "What have I to do
with idols?" Or as the prophet Isaiah expresseth it, "Ye shall defile
the covering of the graven images of silver, and the ornament of thy
molten images of gold; thou shalt cast them away as a menstruous cloth,
thou shalt say unto it, get thee hence." And thus it is with a people,
or a person, when once "God sheds abroad His Spirit in their hearts,"
and makes them "hear joy and gladness," in speaking, or sealing, a
pardon upon their souls; they that before were joined to their idols,
drunkenness, uncleanness, covetousness, pride, ways of false worship,
old superstitious customs, and ceremonies, and the like; so that there
was no parting of them; or those who had long been grappling and
conflicting with their strong corruptions and old temptations, and in
those conflicts had received many a foil, and got many a fall to the
wounding of their consciences, and cutting deep gashes upon their souls;
now they stand up with a kind of omnipotence among them, no temptation
is able to stand before them; they say to their idols, whether sinful
company, or sinful customs, "get ye hence, and what have I to do any
more with idols?" What have I to do with such and such base company?
What have I to do with such base filthy lusts? "I am my beloved's, and
my beloved is mine." Christ is mine, and I am His. The reason of it is,
because pardon begets love; "she loved much, because much was forgiven
her." And love begets strength: "for love is as strong as death": yea,
stronger than sin or death; "They loved not their lives to the death,"
and "I count not my life dear," says Paul, when once the man had tasted
of the free grace of God in the pardon of his sins, "who before was a
blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious." He could find in his
heart, not only to lay down a lust, but to lay down his life too for
Jesus Christ: "for whose sake, (saith he), I have suffered the loss of
all things; and I count not my life dear, so that I might finish my
course with joy, and the ministry which I have received of the Lord
Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God."
My beloved Christians, if you would be faithful in the covenant of God,
into which you are now entering, sue out your pardon for what is past;
yea, entreat the Lord, not only to give a pardon, but to speak a pardon,
and seal a pardon upon your hearts; and never give the Lord rest, till
the Lord have given rest to your souls. "The joy of the Lord is your
strength."